Opening a Case With TAC

This section contains details on the type of information that you need when you contact TAC and information on methods of sharing information with TAC personnel.

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Using the online TAC Service Request Tool represents the fastest way to open S3 and S4 service requests. (S3 and S4 service requests specify those requests in which your network is minimally impaired or for which you require product information.) After you describe your situation, the TAC Service Request Tool automatically provides recommended solutions. If your issue is not resolved by using the recommended resources, your service request will get assigned to a Cisco TAC engineer. Find the TAC Service Request Tool at this URL:

For S1 or S2 service requests or if you do not have Internet access, contact the Cisco TAC by telephone. (S1 or S2 service requests represent those in which your production network is down or severely degraded.) Cisco TAC engineers get assigned immediately to S1 and S2 service requests to help keep your business operations running smoothly.

To open a service request by telephone, use one of the following numbers:

Information You Will Need

When you open a case with the Cisco TAC, you must provide preliminary information to better identify and qualify the issue. You may need to provide additional information, depending on the nature of the issue. Waiting to collect the following information until you have an engineer request after opening a case inevitably results in resolution delay.

Firewall Protection

Virtually all internal networks use firewall applications to restrict outside access to internal host systems. These applications protect your network by restricting IP connections between the network and the public Internet.

Firewalls work by automatically blocking TCP/IP connections that are initiated from the outside, unless the software is reconfigured to allow such access.

Corporate networks normally permit communication with the public Internet but only if connections directed to outside hosts originate from inside the firewall.

Cisco Secure Telnet Design

Cisco Secure Telnet takes advantage of the fact that Telnet connections can easily be initiated from behind a firewall. Using an external proxy machine, the system relays TCP/IP communications from behind your firewall to a host behind another firewall at the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC).

Using this relay server maintains the integrity of both firewalls while secure communication between the shielded remote systems get supported.

Figure 1. Cisco Secure Telnet System

Cisco Secure Telnet Structure

The external relay server establishes the connection between your network and Cisco Systems by building a Telnet tunnel. This enables you to transmit the IP address and password identifier of your Cisco Unified Communications Manager server to your CSE.

Note

The password comprises a text string upon which your administrator and the CSE mutually agree.

Your administrator starts the process by initiating the Telnet tunnel, which establishes a TCP connection from inside your firewall out to the relay server on the public Internet. The Telnet tunnel then establishes another connection to your local Telnet server, creating a two-way link between the entities.

Note

The Telnet client at the Cisco TAC runs in compliance with systems that run on Windows NT and Windows 2000 or with UNIX operating systems.

After the Cisco Communications Manager at your site accepts the password, the Telnet client that is running at the Cisco TAC connects to the Telnet daemon that is running behind your firewall. The resulting transparent connection allows the same access as if the machine were being used locally.

After the Telnet connection is stable, the CSE can implement all remote serviceability functionality to perform maintenance, diagnostic, and troubleshooting tasks on your Cisco Unified Communications Manager server.

You can view the commands that the CSE sends and the responses that your Cisco Unified Communications Manager server issues, but the commands and responses may not always be completely formatted.